The present invention relates to apparatus for trimming foliage, such as grass, hedges, bushes and the like.
In German Patent Application No. 2,159,944, a "fly cutter" for trimming grass, hedges, road shoulders, slopes and the like is shown. The "fly cutter" comprises a horizontal rotatable shaft on which is affixed a plurality of chains, on each of which is secured one or more cutting elements. The shaft is journalled at its ends in a housing which is open at its bottom, so that as the shaft rotates, the cutting elements engage and cut the grass simultaneously, flinging the cuttings into the housing. The housing is connected by a suitable duct to a source of vacuum, so that the cuttings are then sucked into a suitable receptacle. Such apparatus, however, is unsuitable for the cutting of hedges, shrubs and the like since the cutting elements, secured at the end of relatively flexible chains, provide a clean cut only because the grass is held firmly by the ground. Since hedges, shrubs and the like have rather long stems and branches, there is no firm counter-support for a clean trimming operation.
It has been further known from German Patent Application No. 2,707,480 to combine a "fly-cutter" (having a conical rotating cylinder) with an edge type cutting unit in the form of a sickel mower having a vertical axis. The fly-cutting unit is adapted to mow a road bed edge along the sides of the guide rail of the road, while the sickle type mower is adapted to mow the grass between the posts of the guide rail. The sickle type mower throws the grass clippings into the path of the fly-cutting unit so that the cuttings can be sucked by the vacuum source. In this form of the apparatus, the two mower units perform different functions independently of each other and only the collection of the cuttings is affected through the same suction system. In any event, this apparatus is incapable of trimming hedges, shrubs and the like.
Hedge and shrub trimmers are, of course, also known. These devices, however, suffer from the defect that the cut material is left free to fall to the ground.
The present invention overcomes the defects of the prior known devices and provides a simple apparatus which is capable of mowing and trimming grass as well as hedges, shrubs and the like while simultaneously providing for their immediate removal through the suction system.